"...the taking of the Black Hills [from the Lakota] is the most ripe and rank
case of dishonorable dealing ever perpetrated on a people by the United States
government." United States Supreme Court, 1980

Young
Chilean keeps nearly extinct languages aliveChile: When the Spanish arrived in Chile, 11 tribal languages were spoken:
Quechua, Aymara, Rapanui, Chango, Kunza, Diaguita, Mapudungun, Chono, Kawesqar,
Yagan and Selk'nam. Today, only the first three remain. Joubert Yanten is
changing that. The 16-year-old youth spends his spare time learning tribal
languages. His obsession began at age 8 after a school project about Chile's
native groups. "It frustrated me that no one really saw the magnitude of the
extinction of an entire race in the south," he said. By using dictionaries and
audio cassette tapes, Yanten became only living speaker of Selk'nam. He also
speaks fluent Spanish and Mapudungun and is semi-versed in many other languages.
But his love of linguistics doesn't end with words; he also composes songs in
Selk'nam. In an effort to popularize traditional native music, he is fusing it
with modern electronic beats, and working on a demo CD with friends. "I've
always believed that the spirits of his ancestors are with him," said Yanten's
mother, Ivonne Gomez. "He goes through many changes of voice and of mental
state." Yanten has teamed up with Fuego Ancestral (Ancestral Fire), a group
promoting the culture of Tierra del Fuego indigenous through documentaries,
musical presentations, talks, and workshops on traditional medicine. Yet lack of
financial support has frustrated Yanten and those who work to preserve Chile's
indigenous heritage. "It's unfortunate that in our country, culture gets no
support," said Juan Carlos Avilez, an anthropologist who watched Yanten's
performance at a Santiago museum. "Not only should the state be helping this
special boy, but a university should study and work with him."photo credit:
Jeff Rosshttp://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/12/MNQGPKNQ3.DTLRancher,
linguist working to preserve native languageNorth Dakota: Experts believe Edwin Benson, a 75-year-old horse rancher, is the
only living person who speaks fluent Mandan. For past three summers, Benson and
California linguist Sara Trechter have worked together recording and
transcribing Mandan folk stories and social and cultural customs. Trechter has
had to master some quirks of the language -- for example, a bird is said to
"stand" while flying, but "sit" when perched on a tree. Some words or phrases
simply defy translation into another tongue. Trechter also works with the
Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara cultural preservation office on the Fort Berthold
reservation. Their goal is to produce language labs materials for the
reservation, ideally with the videotapes of Benson telling his stories in Mandan
with transcriptions on the bottom of the screen.Associated PressCherokee artist America Meredith puts words on wheels
California: It started as a summer project in 2004. Now there are hundreds of
them: laminated cards with Cherokee words and pictures in the bicycle spokes of
bicycle messengers across the world. The project, "Cherokee Spokespeople," was
created by
America Meredith, a Cherokee/Swedish artist from San Francisco.
Meredith, 35, worked as a bicycle messenger for 10 years. She gives away her
illustrated cards to members of the close-knit international bicycle messenger
community who send her back a photo or video of the card in their city. In this
way, Cherokee words have spread to Tokyo, London, Zurich, Tapei, Aukland and
other cities. "According to Cherokee Nation tribal leadership, our current
generation, the fourteenth since European contact with the Cherokees, is said to
be the generation that decides whether the language grows or dies," said
Meredith. She hopes her "Cherokee Spokespeople" will help make this generation
the one in which the language grows stronger. "It's all about connection," she
said.
Cherokee Spokespeople: http://www.ahalenia.com/cherokee/index.htmlhttp://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415446Bounty mutineers' language preserved by UN Norfolk Island: Half of Norfolk Island's residents are descended from the HMS
Bounty mutineers. Now a campaign is underway to preserve Norf'k, their unique
hybrid language. Norf'k, or Norfuk, is among the world's rarest languages. It is
under threat because islanders are marrying outsiders and because of TV and
radio from neighboring Australia and New Zealand. Norf'k, a blend of 18th
century English and Tahitian, will be featured by UNESCO in the next edition of
its Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger of Disappearing.

Phrases:

Watawieh: Hello

All yorlye gwen? How are you all?

Kushu:
I'm fine

I car foot:
I don't know

Fut you ally comey diffy and do daffy?
: Why are you behaving that way?

I gwen out yena f'porpieh:
I'm going out yonder to get some guavas

Da nufka se tow in em moo'oo:
That kingfisher has settled in the flax

Wan kau f' mais bradhas s' orf aut
: My brother's cow has escaped

Audio report:
http://www.mediaplayer.telegraph.co.uk/?item=223B43C2-C30E-4FB0-8B1F-F75CA7C455BChttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/22/wnorfolk122.xmlStudents
Help Save Native LanguageWyoming: Tribal elders estimate there are only 10 years to save the Northern
Arapaho language. Students in a University of Wyoming Northern Arapaho language
class recently won grant money for better teaching tools. Funds will be used to
improve DVDs containing lessons from elders, create a student workbook, and hire
native artists to design culturally appropriate line drawings for a coloring
book. "Northern Arapaho is not just a language, it's a way of being and a way of
living that couldn't be needed more than it is now," said course instructor and
tribal elder Wayne C'Hair.NatNews@yahoogroups.comCollege receives grant for Ojibwe language and culture programMinnesota: The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth has received a $1,190,000
grant to support its Ojibwe Language and Culture Education program. “Graduates
of the OLCE program will not only be able to better understand and communicate
with native students, they will also be able to educate non-native students
about the American Indian community,” said Valerie Tanner, assistant professor
of education at St. Scholastica. The new grant will support 10 students
interested in teaching and working in the American Indian community. The grant
will also support area teachers who integrate the Ojibwe culture, history and
language into Duluth Public Schools' K-12 curriculum. The Washington Post has
rated St. Scholastica among the nation’s 100 “hidden gems” among U.S. colleges
and universities.College of St. Scholastica: http://www.css.edu/http://www.businessnorth.com/pr.asp?RID=2386Learning A
Second Language: Is It All In Your Head?Wisconsin: A new study links the brain's anatomy to the ability to learn a
second language in adulthood. Northwestern researchers measured the size of HG,
a finger-shaped structure in both the right and left side of the brain and found
that the size of left HG, but not right HG, made the difference. The study is
the first to consider the predictive value of a specific brain structure on
linguistic learning even before training has begun. The study appears in the
online journal, Cerebral Cortex.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725152034.htmRiver kayaker seeks 'Grandmothers'Minnesota: Beginning September 3, author Nancy Scheibe will kayak the waters of
the Mississippi gathering stories from women she respectfully refers to as
"Grandmothers." "Grandmother is a term I borrowed from the Native American
culture," she said. "It's an expression of respect. It recognizes the wisdom
gained from life experiences. It has nothing to do with the fact that you might
or might not have children or grandchildren." Throughout the journey, Scheibe
will hold nine gatherings. At each stop, Scheibe will record oral histories told
by women ages 50 and older.For more information and a complete list of Scheibe's scheduled stops visit
http://www.onacreativejourney.com.http://www.thehawkeye.com/9"Native" book on 7th-grade list a "slap in the face""The Education of Little Tree" by Forrest Carter remains on several school
reading lists. The 1976 bestseller told "the true story" of an orphan raised as
a Cherokee by his grandparents in Depression-era Appalachia. Unfortunately, it
turned out to be a whopper of a literary hoax:
Forest Carter was neither an orphan nor a Cherokee but instead a white
supremacist ;Carter was a member of the KKK. The group he helped found,
the Ku Klux Klan of the Confederacy, attacked Nat King Cole onstage during a 1956 Birmingham
concert;Carter wrote Alabama Gov. George Wallace's "Segregation Forever!" speech;His real name was Asa "Ace" Carter.Carter's widow later told Publishers Weekly that "Forrest Carter" was an
impostor.Indian educator Rosa Winfree said many teachers assign the book without
researching it or considering authentic Native American alternatives. "They try
to be inclusive, but this is the worst book in the world they could choose,"
said Winfree. "This is not the way to go about it. If you don't know something,
ask someone who does." Ruth Revels, Lumbee, agrees. "Ignorance is less and less
of an excuse," she said. "I'm 71. I'm tired. Every time we go forward, we
regress again. Would you assign 'Little Black Sambo' for black children to read?
Imagine."www. record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070819/NRSTAFF/70818025Alberta residential school reunion brings together memories, pain
Alberta: Former students of the Holy Angels residential school recently gathered
for a reunion, shared tears and painful memories. Then they heard something
unexpected from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police: Sgt. Fred Kamins apologized
for the police force's role in Canada's residential schools. "As a proud
Canadian, I am ashamed that our country's history — a proud history of meeting
adversity and challenge — should be tainted by this tragic chapter," Kamins
said. RCMP officers had to track down students who had run away. They also
arrested parents who refused to send their children to the schools. Kamins said
that as early as 1984, officers went on the record protesting their enforcement
of the residential school system. George Martin, 64, was a Holy Angels student
who cried himself to sleep every night. He said it's time to forgive and let go
of the pain. "There's nobody that can give us that back, what we lost here,"
Martin said. "But we can always get it back among ourselves."photo: http://www.shingwauk.auc.ca/photogallery/HolyAngelsIRS.jpgCBC NewsNative
Hawaiian groups form history coalition Hawaii: Some of the state's largest and most influential Native Hawaiian
organizations have formed the Hawai'i Pono'i Coalition to educate the public
about the truths of Hawai'i's history. "I think there's a lot of effort by
(opponents of Native Hawaiian rights) to share their interpretation of what
happened during the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy," said Hawaiian activist,
Vicky Holt Takamine. "A lot of people don't really recognize that the overthrow
was illegal by the United States. it's not enough just to take our government
and annex us illegally to the United States, but then to take away our resources
that can provide economic and educational benefit for Native Hawaiians on top of
that?" The Hawai'i Pono'i Coalition was named after Hawai'i's national anthem
written in 1874 by King David Kalakaua. HPC begins its efforts with a
celebration of the 169th birthday of Queen Lili'uokalani on September 2. Among
the coalition members are Kamehameha Schools, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs,
and the Queen Lili'uokalani Trust and Learning Center. "I think there's a
consensus among most of the groups that we should be entitled to have our own
programs and use our own lands to educate our own people," Takamine said.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070818/NEWS23/708180338/1173/NEWS23ALA Inaugurates its First American Indian PresidentDr. Loriene Roy has been installed as president of the American Library
Association. Roy, who is Ojibwe, hopes that the ALA and academia will help her
combat challenges faced by tribal youth, including a lack of access to
resources. Roy wants tribal students to become more computer literate, families
to make reading a fun, lifetime activity, and help schools hire librarians who
make the library system the “heart of the whole school.”http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_8966.shtml

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